How to water your new lawn

Landscape Maintenance Tips:  Guide for cool season grasses -

A new seed bed must be kept moist in order for the grass seed to germinate.  This means watering 2-3 times daily.  IF THE SEED BED IS ALLOWED TO DRY OUT JUST ONCE YOU CAN LOSE UP TO 30% OF YOUR SEED GERMINATION.  What this means is if you are watering once a day with a garden hose it is not enough.  Water is the key element in the success or failure of your new lawn.



 

1. Water new seed bed 2-3 times a day to keep soil moist.
2. Once grass seed has germinated DO NOT STOP WATERING.  Now the seed is a young seedling with a growing leaf area to support with a very small root system to draw water with. 
3. Now that your grass seed has germinated and is about 2" tall you should increase the watering time to a minimum of 30 minutes 3-4 times per week.  This will cause the root system to grow down in search of water rather that up towards the surface where the moisture is after light watering.
4. The best time of day to water your lawn is the morning.  This will provide moisture for the grass plants well into the day when they are under the most stress from the midday temperatures and drying sun.  Also evening watering creates extremely high nightime humidity and optimum conditions for many fungus diseases.